System and method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs

The present application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/CN2020/101064, filed on 9 Jul. 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a system and method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs.

In order to response to the increase of user demands for the power and battery life of energy storage batteries, if the solution of a single battery pack is still adopted, it is bound to increase an energy density and a cell capacity of a battery pack cell. As a result, the volume and weight of the battery pack are increased, and research and development, manufacturing, transportation and installation costs of the battery pack are also increased. If the solution of parallel battery packs is adopted, from the perspective of research and development, only a low-capacity solution needs to be designed, which reduces the research and development and safety certification costs of a developer.

At present, the wake-up manner for an existing energy storage system is that the output of a power terminal of a multilevel parallel system energy storage inverter (PCS) is transmitted to PACK+ and PACK− terminals of power lines of a stand-alone system connected thereto, and after detecting the output of the PACK terminals, an activation circuit of the PACK system per se activates its own PACK system, or the system is activated step by step through physical buttons of the system per se. Such a wake-up manner is simple, reliable, and easy to implement, and is widely applied to a multi-machine parallel system of an energy storage power station.

However, in the prior art, under the condition that multiple groups of PACKs are used in parallel, the manner of using the output of the PACK power terminals to wake up other PACKs can only be used for the wake-up in the case of no detection at a load terminal. When the PCS on the load terminal performs normal output only after detecting the PACK state, the application scenario cannot be satisfied. In addition, if the load output terminal has a fault, the wake-up through the power lines may easily cause device burnout or equipment damage. Besides, the wake-up manner through single PACK physical buttons is cumbersome in operation and not convenient enough.

In view of the foregoing, it is necessary to provide a system and method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs, which have functional safety requirements, convenience in operation, and improved user experience.

An embodiment of the present application provides a system for wake-up control of parallel battery packs, which includes a first battery pack and a second battery pack which connected in parallel. The first battery pack includes a first control unit, and the second battery pack includes a second control unit.

The first battery pack is configured to receive a first trigger signal to wake up the first control unit of the first battery pack.

The first control unit of the first battery pack is configured to output a first driving signal after being woken up.

The second battery pack is configured to receive a second driving signal sent by the first battery pack, and transmit the processed second driving signal to the second control unit of the second battery pack to wake up the second control unit of the second battery pack, wherein the second driving signal is an output signal after that the first driving signal is processed by the first battery pack.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the first battery pack further includes: a first signal processing unit, including a first driving module, a first isolation element, and a first processing module and the first processing module is configured to process the first driving signal to generate the second driving signal.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the first driving module is electrically connected between the first control unit and the first isolation element, the first processing module is electrically connected to the first isolation element, the first driving module is configured to receive the first driving signal, drive and amplify the first driving signal and then turn on the first isolation element, and the first isolation element is configured to control the first processing module to output the second driving signal after being turned on.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the second battery pack further includes: a second signal processing unit including a second driving module, a second processing module, and a second isolation element, wherein the second driving module is configured to receive the second driving signal and control the second isolation element to be turned on according to the second driving signal, the second isolation element is configured to output a voltage signal to the second processing module after being turned on, and the second processing module is configured to wake up the second control unit of the second battery pack after receiving the voltage signal.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the first driving module includes a first switch, a first terminal of the first switch is electrically connected to the first control unit, a second terminal of the first switch is grounded, and a third terminal of the first switch is electrically connected to the first isolation element.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the first isolation element includes a first light-emitting unit and a first switch unit, the first switch unit includes an emitting electrode and a collecting electrode, a first terminal of the first light-emitting unit is electrically connected to the third terminal of the first switch, a second terminal of the first light-emitting unit is electrically connected to the first control unit, the emitting electrode of the first switch unit is grounded, and the collecting electrode of the first switch unit is electrically connected to the first processing module.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the first processing module includes a second switch, a first terminal of the second switch is electrically connected to the collecting electrode of the first switch unit, a second terminal of the second switch is electrically connected to a power supply, and a third terminal of the second switch outputs the second driving signal.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the second driving module includes a diode, an anode of the diode is electrically connected to the third terminal of the second switch, a cathode of the diode is electrically connected to the second isolation element.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the second isolation element includes the second light-emitting unit and the second switch unit, the second switch unit includes the emitting electrode and the collecting electrode, a first terminal of the second light-emitting unit is electrically connected to the cathode of the diode, the second terminal of the second light-emitting unit is grounded, and the emitting electrode and collecting electrode of the second switch unit are electrically connected to the second processing module.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the first switch is an NPN type triode, the second switch is a PNP type triode, the first terminal, the second terminal and the third terminal of the first switch respectively correspond to a base electrode, an emitting electrode, and a collecting electrode of the NPN type triode, and the first terminal, the second terminal, and the third terminal of the second switch respectively correspond to a base electrode, an emitting electrode and a collecting electrode of the PNP type triode.

receiving a first trigger signal by a first battery pack to wake up a first control unit of the first battery pack; outputting a first driving signal after the first control unit of the first battery pack is woken up; and receiving a second driving signal sent by the first battery pack at a second battery pack, and transmitting the processed second driving signal to a second control unit of the second battery pack to wake up the second control unit of the second battery pack, wherein the second driving signal is an output signal after that the first driving signal is processed by the first battery pack. An embodiment of the present application also provides a method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs. The method includes:

According to some embodiments of the present application, the method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs further includes: receiving the first driving signal by a first driving module, driving and amplifying the first driving signal and then turning on a first isolation element; and controlling a first processing module to output the second driving signal after the first isolation element is turned on, wherein the first driving module is electrically connected between the first control unit and the first isolation element, and the first processing module is electrically connected to the first isolation element.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs further includes: receiving the second driving signal by a second driving module, and controlling a second isolation element to be turned on according to the second driving signal; outputting a voltage signal to a second processing module after the second isolation element is turned on; and waking up the second control unit of the second battery pack after the second processing module receives the voltage signal.

In the system and method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs according to the embodiments of the present application, wake-up signal lines of a plurality of battery packs are connected in parallel, the first control unit of one of first battery packs is woken up by the first trigger signal, and the second driving signal is output to the second battery pack. The second battery pack processes the second driving signal and then transmits the processed second driving signal to the second control unit of the second battery pack to wake up the second control unit of the second battery pack. In this way, the system for wake-up control of parallel battery packs according to the embodiment of the present application can significantly improve the operation convenience feeling of a user for a product, bring a better experience to the user, and solve the problem that the PCS terminal is abnormal or an application environment of interactive operation is required through a simple and reliable circuit design. Therefore, the product is wider in application range and has greater adaptability.

100 System for wake-up control of parallel battery packs 10 10 10 a b c Battery pack,and 21 Control unit 22 Signal processing unit 23 First driving module 24 First processing module 25 Second driving module 26 Second processing module 1 First isolation element U 2 Second isolation element U 1 First switch Q 2 Second switch Q 1 14 First to fourteenth resistors R-R 1 4 First to fourth capacitors C-C 1 Diode D

The following specific embodiments will describe the present application in more detail in conjunction with abovementioned accompanying drawings.

The following clearly and fully describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely a part of but not all of the embodiments of the present application.

1 FIG. 100 100 Please refer to, which is a system architecture schematic diagram of a parallel operation performed according to a system for wake-up control of parallel battery packsaccording to an embodiment of the present application. The system for wake-up controlin the embodiment of the present application may include the parallel battery packs.

1 FIG. 10 10 10 100 a b c The parallel battery packs in the embodiment of the present application may include a plurality of battery packs connected in parallel (only uses three battery packs,andas an example for illustration, and there may be more than three or less than three battery packs). That is, the plurality of battery packs are connected in parallel to form the system for wake-up control of parallel battery packs.

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 a b c a b c a b c. Each of the battery packs,andis connected in parallel by wake-up lines SYN_Wake+ and SYN_Wake−. For example, a SYN_Wake+ terminal of the battery packis connected to SYN_Wake+ terminals of the battery packand the battery pack, and a SYN_Wake− terminal of the battery packis connected to SYN_Wake− terminals of the battery packand the battery pack

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 a b c a b c a b c a In the embodiment of the present application, each of the battery packs,andis further provided with a trigger module K, that is, each of the battery packs,andis correspondingly electrically connected to one trigger module K. In a embodiment of the present application, the trigger module K may include a key switch, and the trigger module K is configured to output a trigger signal under a trigger condition. When the trigger module K on one of the plurality of battery packs,andis triggered, the battery pack enters a wake-up state. For example, when the trigger module K on the battery packis triggered, the battery packis woken up to enter a working state.

10 10 10 a b c Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, a key switch and a voltage divider resistor may be connected in series between a positive terminal and a negative terminal of the battery pack, and a filter capacitor may be connected in parallel at a switch terminal to eliminate a spike voltage. A resistance value of the voltage divider resistor is between 100K-1 M, and a system voltage is 42-58V. Therefore, when the energy storage system is in an initial state or after the energy storage system enters a dormant state after a long-term standby, the key switch is pressed to form a loop at a key terminal, and a voltage divider resistor terminal outputs a voltage signal to the enabling terminal of a system power supply, so that the control system enters a normal working state. Therefore, when one of the plurality of battery packs,andis activated, the remaining battery packs will be automatically woken up.

2 FIG. 10 10 10 21 22 a b c Please refer to, the plurality of battery packs,andrespectively include a control unitand a signal processing unit.

10 21 10 22 10 10 10 21 10 10 22 10 10 a a a b c b c b c In the embodiment of the present application, the battery packmay serve as a first battery pack, that is, the control unitin the battery packmay serve as a first control unit, and the signal processing unitin the battery packmay serve as a first signal processing unit. Each of the battery packsandmay serve as a second battery pack, each of the control unitsin the battery packsandmay serve as a second control unit, and each of the signal processing unitsin the battery packsandmay serve as a second signal processing unit.

10 21 10 22 10 10 10 21 10 10 22 10 10 10 21 10 22 10 10 10 21 10 10 22 10 10 b b b a c a c a c c c c a b a b a b It is understandable that in other embodiments, the battery packmay also serve as the first battery pack, that is, the control unitin the battery packmay serve as the first control unit, and the signal processing unitin the battery packmay serve as the first signal processing unit. Each of the battery packsandmay serve as the second battery pack, each of the control unitsin the battery packsandmay serve as the second control unit, and each of the signal processing unitsin the battery packsandmay serve as the second signal processing unit. Or the battery packserves as the first battery pack, that is, the control unitin the battery packserves as the first control unit, and the signal processing unitin the battery packserves as the first signal processing unit. Each of the battery packsandserves as the second battery pack, each of the control unitsin the battery packsandserves as the second control unit, and each of the signal processing unitsin the battery packsandserves as the second signal processing unit, which is not specifically limited by the present application.

10 21 10 21 10 10 a a a a Specifically, the battery packis configured to receive a first trigger signal to wake up the control unitof the battery pack. The control unitof the first battery packis configured to output a first driving signal after being woken up. The first trigger signal is a signal generated when the trigger module K on the battery packis pressed.

10 10 10 21 10 10 21 10 10 10 b c a b c b c a In the embodiment of the present application, the battery packsandare configured to receive a second driving signal sent by the battery pack, and transmit the processed second driving signal to the control unitsof the battery packsand, so as to wake up the control unitsof the battery packsand. The second driving signal is an output signal after that the battery packprocesses the first driving signal.

22 23 24 1 The signal processing unitincludes a first driving module, a first processing module, and a first isolation element U.

10 21 23 21 1 24 1 10 21 10 21 23 23 1 1 24 24 10 10 22 10 10 10 21 10 10 a a a b c a b c b c Specifically, in the battery pack, the control unitis electrically connected to the trigger module K, and the first driving moduleis electrically connected between the control unitand the first isolation element U. The first processing moduleis electrically connected to the first isolation element U. When the trigger module (for example, the key switch) is triggered, the battery packreceives the first trigger signal to wake up the control unitin the battery pack, so that the control unitwill detect that there are other battery packs, and will output the first driving signal to the first driving moduleafter being woken up. After the first driving signal is driven and amplified by the first driving module, the first isolation element Uis turned on. Then the first isolation element Uoutputs a low-level signal to turn on the first processing moduleafter being turned on. The first processing moduleoutputs the second driving signal to the SYN_Wake+ terminals of the battery packsand. That is, the signal processing unitin the battery packoutputs the second driving signal to the battery packsand, so that the control unitsin the battery packsandare woken up.

24 It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, an output current of the first processing modulemay be determined by the number of parallel battery packs in the energy storage system. A driving current designed in the embodiment of the present application may be 50-100 mA.

10 10 10 10 10 21 a b c b c When the battery packoutputs the second driving signal to the SYN_Wake+ terminals of the battery packsand, the SYN_Wake+ terminals of the battery packsandreceive the second driving signal to activate the control unitsin the battery packs per se.

22 25 26 2 25 24 2 26 21 2 Specifically, the signal processing unitmay further include a second driving module, a second processing module, and a second isolation element U. The second driving moduleis electrically connected between the first processing moduleand the second isolation element U. The second processing moduleis electrically connected between the control unitand the second isolation element U.

2 25 25 2 26 10 2 2 26 26 a One side of the second isolation element Uand the second driving moduleform an external input signal detection circuit to perform detection of an input signal. The second driving modulehas the characteristics of anti-reverse connection protection, current limiting protection and interference protection. The other side of the second isolation element Uand the second processing moduleform a system power supply input signal detection circuit. When the SYN_Wake+ terminal receives the second driving signal output by the battery pack, the circuit on one side of the second isolation element Uis turned on, and the other side of the second isolation element Uis turned on therewith. Therefore, the voltage signal can be input to the second processing modulefor processing. After receiving the voltage signal, the second processing moduleenables the control unit of the battery pack to work.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, when a plurality of battery packs are used in parallel, the wake-up lines of the plurality of battery packs are connected in parallel through a cascade wiring harness. Then any one battery pack is activated by pressing a button at first, and the battery pack starts the self-check and then outputs the first driving signal after passing the self-check. The first driving signal is an output signal after isolation and amplification, and is transmitted to the SYN_Wake+ input sides of the remaining battery packs through a parallel communication wiring harness. The remaining battery packs isolate and process the second driving signal and then input the same to respective control units to activate the power supply of the system, so that the system can work normally.

1 2 It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, the first isolation element Uand the second isolation element Uare both electrical couplers.

3 FIG. 22 Please refer to, which is a circuit diagram of the signal processing unitin a preferred embodiment of the present application.

23 1 1 2 3 1 1 The first driving moduleincludes a first switch Q, a first resistor R, a second resistor R, a third resistor R, and a first capacitor C. The first isolation element Uincludes a first light-emitting unit and a first switch unit. The first switch unit includes an emitting electrode and a collecting electrode.

1 2 21 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 21 3 24 A first terminal of the first switch Qis electrically connected to a signal pinof the control unitthrough the first resistor R, and the first terminal of the first switch Qis grounded through the second resistor R. The first terminal of the first switch Qis also grounded through the first capacitor C. A second terminal of the first switch Qis grounded, and a third terminal of the first switch Qis electrically connected to a first terminal of the first light-emitting unit. A second terminal of the first light-emitting unit is electrically connected to a signal pinof the control unitthrough the third resistor R. The emitting electrode of the first switch unit is grounded, and the collecting electrode of the first switch unit is electrically connected to the first processing module.

1 1 In the embodiment of the present application, the first switch Qmay be an NPN type triode, and the first terminal, the second terminal, and the third terminal of the first switch Qrespectively correspond to a base electrode, an emitting electrode, and a collecting terminal of the NPN type triode.

24 2 4 5 6 2 The first processing moduleincludes a second switch Q, a fourth resistor R, a fifth resistor R, a sixth resistor R, and a second capacitor C.

2 1 5 2 4 2 6 2 2 2 2 A first terminal of the second switch Qis electrically connected to the collecting electrode of the first switch unit in the first isolation element Uthrough the fifth resistor R. A second terminal of the second switch Qis electrically connected to the collecting electrode of the first switch unit through the four resistor R. The second terminal of the second switch Qis also electrically connected to a power supply VDD through the sixth resistor R. A third terminal of the second switch Qis electrically connected to the second terminal of the second switch Qthrough the second capacitor C. The third terminal of the second switch Qoutputs a signal to the SYN_Wake+ ports of the remaining battery packs.

2 2 It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, the second switch Qmay be a PNP type triode, and the first terminal, the second terminal, and the third terminal of the second switch Qrespectively correspond to a base electrode, an emitting electrode and a collecting electrode of the PNP type triode.

25 1 7 8 3 2 The second driving moduleincludes a diode D, a seventh resistor R, an eighth resistor R, and a third capacitor C. The second isolation element Uincludes a second light-emitting unit and a second switch unit. The second switch unit includes an emitting electrode and a collecting electrode.

1 2 1 1 7 3 8 26 An anode of the diode Dis electrically connected to the third terminal of the second switch Q. A cathode of the diode Dis electrically connected to a first terminal of the second light-emitting unit. The cathode of the diode Dis grounded through the seventh resistor R. A second terminal of the second light-emitting unit is grounded. The first terminal of the second light-emitting unit is electrically connected to the second terminal of the second light-emitting unit through the third capacitor C. The second terminal of the second light-emitting unit is electrically connected to the SYN_Wake− ports of the remaining battery packs through the eighth resistor R. The emitting electrode and collecting electrode of the second switch unit are electrically connected to the second processing module.

26 9 10 11 12 13 14 4 The second processing moduleincludes a ninth resistor R, a tenth resistor R, an eleventh resistor R, a twelfth resistor R, a thirteenth resistor R, a fourteenth resistor R, and a fourth capacitor C.

3 21 9 4 21 10 11 12 13 5 21 12 13 14 5 21 4 The collecting electrode of the second switch unit is electrically connected to a signal pinof the control unitthrough the ninth resistor R, and the emitting electrode of the second switch unit is electrically connected to a signal pinof the control unitthrough the tenth resistor R. The emitting electrode of the second switch unit is also grounded through the eleventh resistor R, the twelfth resistor R, and the thirteenth resistor Rin sequence. A signal pinof the control unitis electrically connected to a node between the twelfth resistor Rand the thirteenth resistor Rthrough the fourteenth resistor R, and the signal pinof the control unitis also grounded through the fourth capacitor C.

3 FIG. The technical solution of the present application realizes the functions of automatically activating all the battery packs when a plurality of battery packs are used in parallel in the energy storage system by starting a single battery pack. The following will take the circuit diagram shown inas an example to illustrate an inventive principle of the present application.

10 10 21 10 a a a During use, when the trigger module K of any one (for example, the battery pack) of these battery packs is pressed, that is, at this time, the battery packserves as the first battery pack to receive a high-level trigger signal output from the trigger module K, so that the control unitin the battery packis woken up to start working.

10 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 10 10 a b c. Next, the battery packdetects that there are other battery packs, and outputs the first driving signal in a high-level state to the first switch Q. The first switch Qis turned on, and the first terminal of the first light-emitting element in the first isolation element Uis grounded. The first light-emitting element is turned on, and further the first switch unit is controlled to be turned on, so that the first isolation element Uis turned on. That is, the first driving signal is driven and amplified by the first switch Q, and then the first isolation element Uis turned on. The first isolation element Uoutputs a low-level signal to the second switch Qafter being turned on. The second switch Qis turned on, and outputs the second driving signal to the SYN_Wake+ ports of the remaining battery packsand

10 10 10 10 10 10 2 10 10 2 2 2 26 21 10 10 21 10 10 10 10 10 a b c b c a b c b c b c a b c The SYN_Wake+ ports and SYN_Wake− ports in all battery packs,andare connected together through an external link wiring harness. Therefore, after the SYN_Wake+ ports of the battery packsandreceive the high-level second driving signal output by the SYN_Wake+ port of the battery pack, the second light-emitting element in the second isolation elements Uin the battery packsandare turned on, and further the second switch unit in the second isolation element Uis controlled to be turned on, so that the second isolation element Uis turned on. In this way, a voltage signal is output from one side of the second isolation element Uand is processed by the second processing module, and then a SYN_wake up enable signal is output to the control unitsin the battery packsand. That is, the SYN_wake up enable signal can wake up the control unitsof the battery packsandto start working, so as to activate any battery pack to work. That is, all the battery packs,andcan be woken up and enter the working state by only pressing the trigger module on any battery pack.

4 FIG. Please refer to, which is a flowchart of steps of a method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs according to an embodiment of the present application. The method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs may include the following steps:

41 Step S: a first battery pack receives a first trigger signal to wake up a first control unit of the first battery pack.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first battery pack is electrically connected to a trigger module. The first trigger signal may be a signal generated when the trigger module is pressed. The trigger signal may be configured to wake up the first control unit of the first battery pack.

42 Step S: the control unit of the first battery pack outputs a first driving signal after being woken up.

In the embodiment of the present application, after the first battery pack receives the first trigger signal, the first control unit of the first battery pack will be woken up. Therefore, the first control unit of the first battery pack will output the first driving signal.

43 Step S: a second battery pack receives a second driving signal sent by the first battery pack, and transmits the processed second driving signal to a second control unit of the second battery pack to wake up the second control unit of the second battery pack.

In the embodiment of the present application, the second driving signal is an output signal after that the first driving signal is processed by the first battery pack.

In the embodiment of the present application, the second battery pack is configured to receive the second driving signal sent by the first battery pack, and transmit the processed second driving signal to the second control of the second battery pack, so as to wake up the second control unit of the second battery pack.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the first battery pack includes a first signal processing unit. The first signal processing unit includes a first driving module, a first isolation element, and a first processing module. The first driving module is electrically connected between the first control unit and the first isolation element. The first processing module is electrically connected to the first switch unit of the first isolation element to receive the first driving signal, and after the first driving signal is driven and amplified, the first isolation element is turned on. After the first isolation element is turned on, the first processing module is controlled to output the second driving signal.

Further, the second battery pack further includes a second signal processing unit. The second signal processing unit includes a second driving module, a second isolation element, and a second processing module. The second driving module receives the second driving signal, and controls the second isolation element to be turned on according to the second driving signal. After the second isolation element is turned on, a voltage signal is output to the second processing module. The second processing module will wake up the second control unit of the second battery pack after receiving the voltage signal.

10 10 10 b c a Therefore, according to the system and method for wake-up control of parallel battery packs in the embodiments of the present application, the remaining battery packs (for example, the battery pack,) can be automatically woken up by connecting the wake-up signal lines of the plurality of battery packs in parallel, and by waking up one of the battery packs (for example, the battery pack). In this way, the system for wake-up control of parallel battery packs according to the embodiment of the present application can significantly improve the operation convenience feeling of the user for a product, bring a better experience to the user, and solve the problem that the PCS terminal is abnormal or an application environment of interactive operation is required through a simple and reliable circuit design. Therefore, the product is wider in application range and has greater adaptability.

Those of ordinary skill in the art should realize that the above embodiments are only configured to illustrate the present application instead of limiting the present application. The appropriate changes and alterations fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present application as long as they are within the scope of the essential spirit of the present application.